1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and specifically, a technique of reducing the outer dimensions and thickness of a set of a small display device for a cellular phone or the like.
2. Description of Related Arts
For a liquid crystal display device, there is a strong demand to reduce the outer dimensions of the set and reduce the thickness of the set while keeping a certain screen size. This demand is especially strong for a display device such as a liquid crystal display device for cellular phone or the like, which requires the smaller outer dimensions and thickness of the set.
FIG. 11 is an example of a plan view of a module of a small liquid crystal display device used for a cellular phone. In FIG. 11, a liquid crystal display panel includes a TFT substrate 1 on which pixel electrodes, thin-film-transistors (TFTs), data signal lines, scan lines, etc. are formed, a color filter substrate 2 on which a color filter etc. are formed, an upper polarizer 3 attached onto the color filter substrate 2, and a lower polarizer (not shown) attached to the undersurface of the TFT substrate 1. The parts where the polarizers are attached are nearly equal to the available picture area on which images are formed. The TFT substrate 1, the color filter substrate 2, the upper polarizer 3, and the lower polarizer 4 form the liquid crystal display panel.
The TFT substrate 1 is formed larger than the color filter substrate 2 so that an IC driver 6 for driving the liquid crystal display panel, a flexible wiring board 7 for supplying power and signals to the liquid crystal display panel, etc. may be mounted thereon. The liquid crystal display panel is held in a mold 5 formed of a resin or the like.
A backlight is provided on the backside of the liquid crystal display panel for applying light from the backside to the liquid crystal display panel. The backlight is held in the mold at the backside of the liquid crystal display panel. The flexible wiring board 7 mounted on the TFT substrate 1 is folded back to the backside of the resin mold 5 while covering the short sides of the resin mold 5. This is for reducing the outer size of the liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display panel, the resin mold 5 holding the backlight etc., the flexible wiring board 7, and so on are typically housed within a frame (not shown) made of metal. When the flexible wiring board 7 is put into the frame, a stress is produced due to bending of the flexible wiring board 7, and various measures have been proposed for relaxing the stress. Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2005-338497 is cited as an example of a configuration as a measure for the problem.